Self-Defense Against a Bigger, Stronger Opponent with Matt Ember

Defending yourself against a bigger, stronger opponent is a common concern in the martial arts. In fact, it might be the whole reason the martial arts were developed in the first place!

In this video, Sifu Matt Ember shares a quick tip to help someone smaller and weaker be more effective when facing a larger attacker.

Sifu Matt has been my teacher in the art of Kung Fu San Soo for over 20 years. Talk about patience! 🙂 Hopefully, I can talk him into sharing another tip soon!

For now, see if this helps. If the video won’t play, there’s a summary down below. Happy training!

Self-Defense Against a Bigger, Stronger Opponent

I get questions from martial artists about speed and strength all the time… but no one ever asks about acceleration.

Too bad, because according to Sifu Matt, acceleration is the secret sauce to making a technique work when you’re smaller and weaker than your opponent.

For those of us who have forgotten basic high school physics, what exactly is acceleration?

Let’s say your car can race along at 100 miles per hour. That’s speed. But how long does it take to reach that speed? That time is your rate of acceleration.

Why does this matter in self-defense?

Well, in a fight, the quicker you can reach your maximum output, the more effective your technique will be. It’s a simple question of timing…

If someone is stronger than you and can adjust to your movement, they will resist and stop it. That’s one of the benefits of being bigger and stronger.

But if you can accelerate to a position before your opponent can resist, you will have a chance to complete your movement.

When your movement exceeds the limits of your opponent’s flexibility or stability, you will either force them off-balance or break part of their structure… or both!

That’s the difference between a SNAP or a TAP in grappling or BJJ. If your partner has time to tap, that means you GAVE him time to tap!

If you snapped the same technique, however, you would cause damage before your partner even knew what was happening.

Therefore, to make sure your techniques are effective in a true life or death situation…

Train to increase the acceleration of your entire body in every technique you do.

If you practice Karate, the word “kime” may come to mind. If you practice Kung Fu, you may think of “fa jin”.

Either way, we’re talking about a moment of total commitment. That’s what adds the SNAP to a solid technique.

Of course, you still want to maximize your speed and strength. To help with those goals, check out these videos—

How to Increase Your Speed

How to Add Power to Everything

Just don’t forget that speed and strength are not enough! Whole body acceleration or explosiveness is a crucial factor when someone faces a bigger, stronger opponent.

So, how can you develop your acceleration? How do you get a feel for the SNAP without breaking your partner’s wrist?

Here’s a fun challenge for you…

The Beer Ring Challenge

Sifu Matt learned this party trick back in 1979… now it’s your turn! The secret to the trick is acceleration, so if you can do it, you pass the test!

Of course, the real challenge in our environmentally responsible world will be finding these plastic rings! So, give this a try before they all disappear. 🙂

Here’s the challenge:

1. Get some plastic rings from a six-pack of beer or soda.
2. Fold them over until you are left with just one ring.
3. Insert your fingers (two or three) to get a good double grip.
4. Take a breath and…
5. SNAP. Try to pull the rings apart.

Simple, right? But not easy!

Here are a couple of tips…

First, start with slack rings. Don’t waste energy adding tension before you need it.

Second, don’t stretch too far. If you can’t break the rings within the first foot or two, yanking out to the sides will not help.

Remember, the trick is acceleration, not strength. So, focus on exploding, not stretching.

Do you accept the challenge? If so—

Let me know how it goes!

Of course, the real challenge is to apply this “trick” to your martial arts training. One great example (because it looks EXACTLY like the beer rings) is right here.

This is a video of Nick “Chewy” Albin from Chewjitsu.net. Nick has a great YouTube channel, too, so be sure to subscribe to his site and channel for more martial arts wisdom after watching this clip.

That’s it! Focus on adding more SNAP to your workouts and let me know if that helps you handle a bigger, stronger opponent, too.